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Maybe the HR and the hiring team are really clumsy as well?
In our company, which is by the way one of the major player in the financial industry, I just heard that we tried to hire a person after tons of interviews, only to hear that this person actually doesn't have the legal right to work in the US.
Yes, I know... We are all speechless before such fantastic work!
It is very strange that you are able to get some feedback about the other candidates, but well, so far, let's hope for the best for you as well.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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There have been some good ideas raised. We would never give someone the "thanks but we picked someone else" without having an accepted offer and
clean background/reference check from the top choice(s). Because of the time it takes to check references, and the cost of background checks, we would not checks on the "runners-up" until after the failure to come to terms with the first choice. I also have a TWIC as do my employees, but we hire contingent upon getting one. Having it in advance does not take the place of the initial background checks that we do for potential new employees.
I would guess that you have a chance but are not among the top candidates. If in fact you do get an offer eventually, it becomes more important for you to prove yourself early on in your tenure so they will know they ended up with the best person. In order not to be seen as a pest, I would recommend always waiting for 2-3 days after the time given to follow up. Good luck.
Maybe the HR and the hiring team are really clumsy as well?
In our company, which is by the way one of the major player in the financial industry, I just heard that we tried to hire a person after tons of interviews, only to hear that this person actually doesn't have the legal right to work in the US.
Yes, I know... We are all speechless before such fantastic work!
It is very strange that you are able to get some feedback about the other candidates, but well, so far, let's hope for the best for you as well.
Good luck, and please keep us posted.
The HR manager made the comment to another guy last week that, the folks doing the BGcheck "were new" & thats what was taking so long. who knows? Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it.
There have been some good ideas raised. We would never give someone the "thanks but we picked someone else" without having an accepted offer and
clean background/reference check from the top choice(s). Because of the time it takes to check references, and the cost of background checks, we would not checks on the "runners-up" until after the failure to come to terms with the first choice. I also have a TWIC as do my employees, but we hire contingent upon getting one. Having it in advance does not take the place of the initial background checks that we do for potential new employees.
I would guess that you have a chance but are not among the top candidates. If in fact you do get an offer eventually, it becomes more important for you to prove yourself early on in your tenure so they will know they ended up with the best person. In order not to be seen as a pest, I would recommend always waiting for 2-3 days after the time given to follow up. Good luck.
Thank you very much for your insight. What you said makes the most sense out of all the theories Ive read & it explains alot of the "mysterious" timing of this process. As Ive mentioned before, my references havent even been contacted & I contacted them all again yesterday & today just to verify. Which ultimately leads me to believe that my background check hasnt (POSSIBLY) even begun yet. Some of these big refineries will go as far as to tell you that they have picked you to be an alternate, just incase some other candidates fail the BG/drugtest but, this company hasnt went that route so, its just been weeks of speculation on all of our parts & its been nerve wracking to say the least. Thanks again Hemlock, I think you nailed it.
The other thing I was thinking of is have any of you worked with each other prior to this?
Basically with HR if they hired just one person for one job a background check is pretty simple.
If it is a group of people doing the same thing they might try to cross reference and see if some have worked together in the past. If it is true then they might have to think about how to structure this.
I worked for a company in the past that if someone had a direct relationship with someone else. Father son, boyfriend and girlfriend etc they were not fired but you could not work in the same location and not within direct line of management.
Technically if an employer finds out they are about to hire people that were once manager and employee at another place that could be a concern.
The other thing I was thinking of is have any of you worked with each other prior to this?
Basically with HR if they hired just one person for one job a background check is pretty simple.
If it is a group of people doing the same thing they might try to cross reference and see if some have worked together in the past. If it is true then they might have to think about how to structure this.
I worked for a company in the past that if someone had a direct relationship with someone else. Father son, boyfriend and girlfriend etc they were not fired but you could not work in the same location and not within direct line of management.
Technically if an employer finds out they are about to hire people that were once manager and employee at another place that could be a concern.
They are hiring a group of 15 people to start December 1 & I know for a fact that Ive never worked with any of the candidates. I spent the vast majority of my career working in coal mines back in Pa. Only for the past (almost) 2 years have I been working in an oil refinery here in Ca. ( w/ a small crew of guys whom I know never even applied for this job)
You only have less than 2 years experience in oil refineries. Others may have 10 years experience. You may feel you have all the qualifications and experience needed for the job, but you may be behind others.
The company is not going to run background checks on every single applicant at once, as it costs money for the checks. They are going to first do the checks on the most qualified, and if they are not hired they will do background checks on the next best qualified, and keep going down till they run out of applicants or the jobs are all filled which ever comes first. Your background check will not even be started till you are in serious consideration for the job.
Being made a conditional offer as you say some have received, means they were the most qualified for the jobs, but they were given conditional offers to see if they would accept the job at the pay and benefits, and then ran the background checks to see if they could pass them before hiring officially. Often port or all of this first group may not pass, and they move to the next group. When they are considering a much large group of people than the number to be hired, it takes time. They have nearly 2 months to go to fill the jobs, and will not be rushed. You are in a hurry for an answer, but they are not going to be rushed if you keep pushing them. Push them and be a pest, and they will just tell you you are no longer being considered for the job.
Remember, the HR department and the HM group have a lot of other duties to do than just handle deciding to hire you. Depending on how many other duties they have, and how much time they will have available to consider hiring you, will determine how long it takes to get to the point you may receive an offer.
OldTrader, thank you for your insight on this. I really appreciate it. What you say seems to be correct as well, as Im finding out new facts about this process by the day. Just this morning I found out that, a guy who received a conditional offer by phone last Wednesday said that, just this week he had to aid the 3rd party agency involved, in offering them some kind of proof of past employment. ( which definitely explains why my references have never been called) Whats bizarre is, he had to wait 3 weeks to even get the call & was told by HR that all he had remaining to do was pass the physical(which hes already done) & the drugtest ( which wont be administered until right before the start date) & their just now starting the EC. The plot thickens....
I also found out this morning that another guy that was offered a position just 3 days after his interview, is out of the running, as he accepted another job w/ a different refinery because they are due to start next Monday & he didnt want to wait 2 more months to start work.
Thank you ALL for all of your responses in this thread. I sincerely appreciate ALL of your help & insight. Youve made my mind a much calmer place. Haha
I agree with the posters who talk about HR going down the list and all the time that can take. I think great patience is going to be your friend here. I wouldn't keep checking in with your references either - you don't want to annoy them! I think they are well aware that you wish to hear if they have been contacted
My husband's last position took well over 6 months to sort out the details and he was the top candidate. You just never know what's going on that you can't see.
Don't believe anything you hear (including message boards/the internet), and only half of what you see.
Good rule of life, that.
Second, you can assume at this point that you are not their first choice. Best to put it on the back burner and if it happens, enjoy the news, but don't get too anxious any longer.
Lastly, you never know what pushes certain people's buttons. The hiring process is very fickle and while you might be well qualified, they might not like where you parked, your shoe color, the company you currently work for, or your mother's maiden name.
Bottom line: you just never know. It aint over till its over. But this is looking weak at best.
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